


Learning to Fly

by TheShortestManOnEarth



Series: Glimmadora Week 3.0 2020 [7]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora reflects on her relationship with Angella, Day 7, F/F, Family, Fanart, Glimmadora Week 3 2020, Glimmadora week, Hurt and comfort, More character development stuff, Parental growing pains, Some Fluff, fan kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28186059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShortestManOnEarth/pseuds/TheShortestManOnEarth
Summary: Glimmadora Week 3 Day 7: Free Day!For Glimmer, learning to use her wings when they grew in was difficult. The process was full of trials and errors. But eventually she figured it out. But for Adora, for all her own powers, cannot follow her family into the skies. Standing on the ground when she can't do anything is difficult. She tries to let those feelings go, but when her second child grows wings, those feelings return.Can both parents reconcile the past with the future?Fanart link included in the main notes!
Relationships: Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Glimmadora Week 3.0 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040798
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Learning to Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All!
> 
> Sorry for the delayed posting of this final piece. I had some issues with the art I made for the 3rd prompt and I'm still working on it. This piece is partially based on a prompt I had to do for my storyboarding class at college. I did an abbreviated version of this fic for the storyboards (because I only had a week to do my storyboards and doing the whole concept would have meant doing over a hundred boards). So if the art feels different, that's why. I also went through a few different concepts for the boards (one version humorous-which I may post the rough thumbnails for on my Instagram if anyone wants to look at it). 
> 
> I also had to fight myself with the art because my inner perfectionist kinda doesn't like the boards. My brain and arms were tired towards the end so the art may not be the best work I've done. I do have some other works (color included!) I'm doing for Day 3 and general fan art I will be posting to my Instagram (which I will link at the end of this note) if you want to check it out. 
> 
> On to the story notes: I wanted to explore the idea that Adora never really got over watching Angella fly away at the end of Season 3 and that image of her disappearing stayed with her. 
> 
> I'm also working on updates for Albatross, Burning Ground, and Last Night on Earth, so keep an eye for those over this coming week. (I may have some art for Burning Ground if I can get my ADHD to cooperate). 
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for your comments and continued patience with this updates. I'll be responding to comments shortly. My brain has been all over the place so I'm sorry for taking so long to respond. >.< I promise I do care about your comments. They make writing and drawing worth it. =) 
> 
> You can view the storyboards on my Instagram: [Here](https://www.instagram.com/p/CJAU69Fp1wZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link/)
> 
> Let me know what you think!

The first time that Glimmer tried to use her wings when they grew in, she crashed into the freshly planted flowers that the royal gardeners had spent weeks tending to and scared the living daylights out of Adora. After detangling her girlfriend from the bushes, the warrior insisted on being there when the Queen tried it the next time. 

There was a period in Glimmer’s life when the overprotectiveness that Adora radiated might have given Glimmer reason to feel smothered. As a newly crowned Queen she wanted to prove that she was as strong as her mother had been. But the second time the Queen went out to fly, she simply told Adora when the next flight test was without much second thought. A generous, “Well, that wasn’t a total disaster.” came from Bow when Glimmer made it into the air but soon after dropped down on top of Adora, who had been running frantic circles below. That comment _did_ earn Glimmer’s signature glare. It seemed that over time she’d perfected the regal stare that her mother often broke out when something required her iron clad judgement. 

Weeks went by where they’d go out a few times with the hopes that this time would be the one where Glimmer could stay up in the sky. When the Queen tumbled for what felt like the hundredth time, she groaned in frustration. She kept twitching, making Adora’s task of wrapping her latest scrapes in a bandage more difficult. 

“I don’t get it!” Glimmer shouted, almost wrenching her arm out of Adora’s grasp. “What am I doing wrong?” The Queen chewed on her lip. Adora finished her task but kept a gentle hold on Glimmer’s hand. If there was anything that the warrior had learned about the Queen over the last few years, it was that Glimmer could be just as fixated on perfection as Adora was at times. Bow often said he didn’t know who was more stubborn and as if to prove his point, both his best friends insisted, stubbornly, that they weren’t as stubborn as he claimed. 

“You’re not doing anything wrong, Glimmer. This is…” The blonde thought for a moment and then her eyes widened in realization. “It’s like a new muscle. You haven’t used it at all before. You have to strengthen it before it’ll do what it’s meant to. We used to have to do all sorts of exercises when I was in the Horde to get stronger.” When Glimmer remained silent, Adora placed her hand on her girlfriend’s cheek and stroked it with her thumb. The gesture seemed to have the desired effect because Glimmer smiled and tilted her head to kiss the inside of Adora’s palm. 

“You always know what to say.” Glimmer said, leaning against Adora’s chest. “Thanks, Adora.” The blonde kissed the pink hair beneath her, and her eyes came to rest on the translucent pink wings that seemed to move with every breath the Queen took. She didn’t take long to fall asleep with her head nestled in the nape of Adora’s neck. The warrior took more comfort in the weight of Glimmer firmly planted on the ground than she should have known was normal. All she knew was that those wings could carry Glimmer away. 

Some days Adora would stare off into the sky. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for or if she knew, the reason wasn’t forthcoming. Glimmer was finally able to fly short distances and the whole Castle was riding the Queen’s energy. Every time she entered a room, she was so bright that Adora was swept along with the comments on how wonderful it was to see the Queen up in the sky, where, according to all, she rightfully belonged. 

Still Adora searched the clouds, watching them drift endlessly and then sometimes when the night was clear she would count the stars to help her mind unravel. While there were nights when she could fall asleep without any effort, she still spent more time than she cared to admit with her mind stuck between memories and the present. 

It was only when Adora and Glimmer’s first child, Skylark, was born that Adora stopped searching, briefly, and focused on taking care of her growing family. Skylark brought a short period of peace where she took after her warrior mother and was drawn to strategy games, studying, and the occasional tutorial courtesy of Entrapta. At age fourteen Skylark could spend the weekend with the inventor and Uncle Bow. While Glimmer and Adora were fine with their child learning things, they knew better than to leave a kid alone with Entrapta’s explosive inventions. 

Their second child, Blaze, on the other hand was every bit as impulsive and unpredictable as Glimmer was when she was younger. The kid barely sat still, and it seemed like every second they were trying to find new ways to give their mothers gray hairs. For a while Adora managed to keep up with Blaze, though it required some help on the part of Blaze’s caretaker and the new Captain of the Bright Moon Patrol guard. After the war, the Queen had, with Adora’s help, established new ways to expand their security systems for emergencies. One of the new arms of the royal army was the Patrol Guard and its members were trained by reformed members of the Horde. While no threats remained as far as they were concerned, time had shown that fortune favored the prepared. 

When Captain Silverthorn, a human and ram hybrid arrived in Bright Moon, he had proven to be an attentive member of the guard. He picked up weapons training far faster than any other trainee Adora had seen. On the days that the Captain wasn’t on Patrol he would help keep an eye on Blaze and give the youngest royal sparring lessons. It felt like things were finally settling into a smooth rhythm that the warrior could get used to. 

Then Blaze’s wings came in. It started with the back pains that caused the poor child to start crying in the middle of the night. Glimmer was at a loss because her wings had come in so late in her life. The wings, like Blaze, were small, and after the initial shock of the growth passed Blaze adjusted to the new appendages. Luckily, they had a mother who had been through the same thing to guide them through the changes. Glimmer was all too happy to share something with her child. 

Adora slowly found herself taking walks when the two did their flying lessons. She couldn’t watch them. It made no sense when she’d loved watching Glimmer fly. But something about the way the wings spread out and then shrank into the distance as they took their bearer away ate at the warrior. It was as if it were opening just long enough to disappear. She squeezed her eyes shut. 

Adora was grateful for the break this afternoon because Glimmer was off on a trip to Plumeria and Skylark was with Bow in Dryl. The warrior decided to shadow spar on the front lawn. It reminded her briefly of when she’d first picked up the Sword of Protection and accidentally turned an ordinary horse into Swift Wind. The thought of her magical companion brought a much-needed smile to the blonde’s face. Swift Wind wasn’t always the most tactful or careful of her friends, but he was fiercely loyal and cared in his own wild way about Adora. 

Those were some of the hardest days of Adora’s life. She’d just left the Horde, Catra, and the world she’d known for years behind. Bow and Glimmer were there for her. Glimmer having just come around to accepting Adora as she was, Horde soldier or not. Bow, sweet Bow, he had believed in Adora from the moment he met her. What the warrior would do without the amazingly loving boy that had grown into the man she considered to be her brother, Adora didn’t know. It wasn’t surprising when Glimmer had brought up the idea of making Bow into an Uncle to their kids. He was a sibling to both Adora and Glimmer in all but blood. Having grown up without family, or even knowing what an Aunt was, Adora had come to appreciate family more than she could say. 

She paused as she spotted Micah walking past one of the windows of the Castle. There was no mistaking the loneliness the widower felt when he was by himself. Adora found that she couldn’t say his wife’s name in front of the King. All she could think about were those small moments that the former Queen gave once she’d begun to treat Adora like the Princess she was. It was a respect from sovereign to the warrior, a formal one at first. But as the missions moved forward, Angella began to talk to Adora in a way that seemed familiar. 

Adora didn’t notice it at first, it was subtle things in the beginning. The former Queen would check in with Glimmer, Bow, and then turn to Adora and ask the warrior how she was adjusting. Then she started commanding Adora with the same tone that she used when she was trying to rein Glimmer in, to keep her safe. 

“I’m not sure if you should go out there” became a common phrase and the Queen not only looked at Glimmer when she said it, but then would look Adora in the eyes with such fierceness that there was no doubt that she was directing her attention at Adora. Shadow Weaver had been the closest person to a parent Adora had ever known. But she wasn’t, not really. The woman was selfish, bitter, and spent her life using Adora to gain power. It didn’t feel wrong until after the Battle of Bright Moon. 

The night after the battle Adora had struggled to hide her scars. Glimmer, ever vigilant, noticed immediately. When the two were in Glimmer’s room, the pink haired girl half furious and half concerned on Adora’s behalf. How could Catra have done this? 

Then Angella came in and Adora saw the fury in her eyes. It wasn’t as though Adora hadn’t seen anger before. That was familiar. The fury on Adora’s behalf from an adult who immediately began asking questions and left only when Glimmer promised to make Adora rest wasn’t familiar. In the Horde Adora didn’t have anyone outside of Catra to help hide the scrapes, burns, and wounds that resulted from their life as soldiers. No one talked about it and there certainly wasn’t room to complain about it, let alone have anyone stand up for themselves after nearly dying. It simply wasn’t done. 

In the hallway Adora heard Angella’s outraged voice thunder through the halls, “What the Horde has done to Adora is inexcusable. How many more scars does she have?” Following the battle Adora noticed Angella’s face twitching occasionally to break her normal regal decorum whenever Catra’s actions were brought up. 

The night that Shadow Weaver broke into Bright Moon Adora couldn’t get the Queen to back down. Angella refused to let anyone near the warrior. Just as Glimmer had accepted Adora as a friend and later, her lover, partner, and family, Angella had in her own way, decided to be the mother the blonde never had. 

On the front lawn, still somewhat lost in her reverie, Adora’s staff swung around and clacked against the new staff that slashed down into her guard. She dodged and flicked her weapon into the side of her new opponent. A grin swept across her face. “You almost had me that time.” 

“One of these days I might. But I think She-Ra would take me down before I got close.” Silverthorn said, smiling at the other warrior. Adora opened her mouth to say something when the heavy flapping sound of wings turned her attention to the sky. 

“Is that Queen Glimmer?” Silverthorn asked, pointing to the figure fast approaching them from the sky. As they grew closer Adora could make out Glimmer with Blaze in her arms. Adora braced her staff against her shoulder and for a second she saw the swirling energy of the portal and the outline of Angella as she took off for the last time. 

Glimmer had barely touched the ground before she turned on Blaze, who pushed away from their mother. “What were you thinking? You could have hurt yourself!” 

“I know how to fly, Mom!” Blaze yelled. 

“You should have gotten me or your Mama!” Glimmer bit back. Blaze gritted their teeth. 

“You’re just scared!” Blaze yelled. “There’s no war anymore! Why are you so scared?” Glimmer’s face seemed to freeze in place, her body drawing back. Silverthorn stepped in but his presence only served to make Blaze angrier. “What are you afraid of, huh?” 

_“You’d know that if you weren’t so paralyzed by fear!”_

“I know what I’m doing! I know how to fight. You made sure of that! I could just fly away if I wanted to!” Blaze’s words once again ripped Adora’s eyes back to that moment in the portal right before Angella took off. Every time Glimmer took off or Blaze tried to fly, Adora couldn’t decide if they were coming back again. Blaze took off into the Castle then, leaving the three adults standing in silence. 

Adora looked at her wife. Glimmer hadn’t looked so vulnerable in a long time. She didn’t have the face of someone who had won a war, she had the face of someone who had lost enough to crumble her whole world. But it was now clear why Adora had felt like her heart was breaking whenever Blaze or Glimmer took off. Angella had probably felt that every time Glimmer and Adora had left Bright Moon. 

“I just…” Glimmer said as Adora wrapped her arms around her wife. Adora nodded and rested her chin on the pink hair. 

“I know, Love.” Adora said quietly. “It’s not easy for Blaze to understand. But you did when I left the Horde. I’ll talk to them.” The warrior drew back and kissed Glimmer’s forehead. “You are an amazing wife and mother. Nothing will change that.” 

Adora went inside and after searching most of the rooms where Blaze usually spent their days before finding them in the War Room or rather, the conference room since no war plans had been made in there in a long time. As she stood in the doorway, she had a familiar sense of how towering and terrifyingly unfamiliar the room looked when she first walked in. 

Surrounded by the sea of chairs that were far bigger than the young child sitting in one of them, Blaze looked even smaller than usual. It was all beyond them, full of history and stories they were too young to remember or understand. Adora didn’t want them to either. Wars were no place for children. She learned that firsthand. Yet, she had been a soldier. That would never change, and she couldn’t pretend the past never happened. 

Adora’s eyes went to the chair Blaze was slumped in. It was Micah’s. Just as the blonde had done so many years ago, Blaze was drawn to the seat of the second ruler of Bright Moon. She slowly made her way over to the child, not saying anything at first. 

“I know what you’re going to say.” Blaze said. Adora raised an eyebrow. Usually, she had words ready for when one of her kids needed to learn an important lesson, but she didn’t raise her voice. It wasn’t something she wanted to pass on from her time in the Horde. But from the look on Blaze’s face, they seemed as though they had something important of their own to disclose. Adora inclined her head to indicate they should continue. “I shouldn’t yell at Mom. And that she’s only trying to protect me. 

“But I _am_ strong enough. I’m brave enough. Why can’t I do things on my own?” Blaze looked up to meet the matching blue eyes of their mother. Adora sighed and took a deep breath as her eyes went to the mural behind them. 

“Look up at the woman at the top of the mural.” Adora said. Blaze’s eyes went to the top where Angella was posed, leading Bright Moon as she always had, her legacy as a protector immortalized in the walls of the kingdom she died for. “When I first came to Bright Moon, I was struggling to be brave.” 

Blaze’s eyes widened. “But you’re one of the toughest warriors! You’re She-Ra!” Adora smiled wanly. The memories of the times before everything changed was hard. Here they were, safe, alive, and one half of a family that was able to live until now thanks to Angella’s sacrifice, and all Adora could think of was what she’d lost. What Glimmer had lost. 

“I wasn’t always She-Ra.” Adora said slowly. “I’ll tell you more about this one day, but I had a past that I needed to overcome. To be a better person. I couldn’t find the courage I needed until I met your Grandmother. She taught _me_ to be brave enough start new. Angella… your grandmother, was one of the bravest people I’ve ever known.” 

Blaze looked up. “Even braver than Mom?” Adora placed a hand on their head and mussed their hair affectionately. 

“They both were and still are the bravest people out there. Being a warrior isn’t what makes you brave.” Adora said with a deep breath. “What makes you brave is deciding to live and love the things you have, no matter what happens. Your Mom loves you so much, Blaze. It takes a lot to watch you grow up like that. It’s hard for both of us. But it’s because we’re your mothers. That’s what we do.” 

Blaze smiled but rolled their eyes. “That was cheesy, Ma.” 

Adora chuckled. “That’s also our job.” Blaze sighed and then got up and hugged their mother. 

“I love you, Mama.” Blaze said, Adora hugged them back and her eyes met Angella’s on the mural. 

“Love you too.” Adora held out her arm and Glimmer stepped into the room. The blonde didn’t know how long her wife had been standing there for, but she joined the hug. Quietly so neither Glimmer nor Blaze could hear, Adora whispered to the mural. “Thank you, Mom.”


End file.
